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Iran 4

Yazd, Qazvin

We are now in Yazd, a very old and very dusty city that sits between the Dasht-e Lut desert in the south and the Dasht-e Kavir in the north. It was extremely hot during the four days or so we spent there but it was a bearable heat. As the photo shows there is no shortage of mosques and minarets in Yazd.

One of the most stunning mosque entrances in all of Iran: the famous Jameh mosque. It was built in the 15th century; the minarets are a staggering 48 meters high. It's a quiet and relatively cool building that we frequented quite often during the midday heat (like in all Iranian mosques there are electrical water dispensers inside with delicious cold water).

An example for the inlaid tile work that dominates the interior of the Jameh mosque.

Another perspective of the old city.

The other famous building in Yazd is the Amir Chakhmaq complex: every Iranian knows this façade. The Amir Chakhmaq is neither a mosque nor a tomb; it's only used during the ceremonies to commemorate the death of Imam Hossein. The view from the top terrace over Yazd is breathtaking: we spent a whole afternoon, until sunset, up there.

This amazing blue-tiled dome crowns the Bogheh-ye Seyed Roknaddin, the mausoleum of the locally famous cleric Roknaddin Mohammed Qazi.

Véro is taking a snapshot for someone, in the courtyard of the Ateshkadeh of Yazd. This is one of the most famous Zoroastrian temples in the world and the centre of this ancient religion. There were quite a few pilgrims from all over the world there when we visited.

This is a small mosque in Qazvin. On most days, there are huge groups of school children visiting the various sites and monuments. They are all extremely well behaved; there is always a dragon or two around who make sure that the girls don't talk with the boys (strangely, boys often loiter near the girls). We were frequently interviewed by groups of school children (girls being especially inquisitive) and although Thomas is a man, the dragons normally relented, to the chagrin of the local boys.